Autumn Leaves Always Fall
by Hikari Daeron
Summary: Twenty two year old Seto Kaiba reflects on All Hallow's Eve. See inside.


_Autumn Leaves Always Fall_

_A One-Shot All Hallow's Eve Fic_

Me: Okay… so I was reading Shadow Over Egypt's latest masterpiece (YES IT WAS, don't look at me like that!), _Both Sides Of The Border_,which is an All Hallow's story. Needless to say, I was inspired to write an All Hallow's Eve fic of my own – I dunno why this never occurred to me before, but it didn't. However, rest assured, the only idea I got from that plot was the masked ball. And the events that take place in that ball are _certainly _not the same as the ones that take place in mine. 

Summary: Um… it's an All Hallow's Eve fic… do I _need _a summary? Actually… yeah, I think I shall: A twenty-two year old Seto Kaiba reflects while walking on the last day of October (five years after Yami leaves, assuming he left when they were all 17). MWAHAHAHA. I win.

So now it's DISCLAIMER TIME! Yami B, front and center! 

Yami Bakura: Yo homies, Kari Daeron over here don't own noizzle. So don't be playa hatin'.

Me: Oh my God. You did NOT just try to be ghetto.

Yami B: Ho, f'rizzile. Wanna go?

Me: Bitch please, don't EVEN. Imma beat yo ass so bad! Yous a frockin' idiot! Yes, FROCKIN'! WITH AN O! Wanna mess?!

Yami B: … no.

Me: MWHAHAHA! I WIN AGAIN!

Flashbacks are in italics. Thoughts during flashbacks are bolded and italicized. Okay, so I took this idea from Shadow as well – but it's clever, so what the hell! It's not like I'm taking any of her plots! GOD.

* * *

The wind was surprisingly light that day. The sun was shining overhead, with few clouds in the sky. The streets were empty, yet the sounds of life echoed by: the birds who hadn't departed yet, the laughter of children as they played games, the chatter of people in some distant area. 

Seto Kaiba watched all of this with cool, unseeing eyes, and heard it all with unhearing ears.

As usual, the CEO was dressed sensibly yet fashionably. He wore earthy colors: brown turtleneck, black pants, forest green trench coat and a matching scarf. The ends of his scarf flapped behind him as he surveyed the area. Calmly, he turned away from the perfect houses and empty streets.

He walked aimlessly, listening as the leaves crunched under his feet. Hands in his pockets, he looked like a peaceful wanderer, trying to enjoy of the remaining warmer days.

And yet, inwardly, he was the exact opposite.

At the moment, Seto was trying to avoid all thought. For if his mind _did _begin the work, the pain would return again.

So for now, he merely continued to stroll.

Merely, and yet, perhaps not.

He had been quietly humming a song under his breath. Idly, he wondered what song it was, so he started to quietly sing the lyrics that came into his mind.

_You lie awake at night_

_With blue eyes that never cry_

_All you remember now_

_Is what you feel_

_Truth remains midnight conversations_

_Ask for this moment but you turn away_

_Sad like a lonely child_

_Broken the day you're born_

_I held the light to you_

_But I was so vain_

_You remain a promise unfilled_

_Ask you for more but you push me away _

_And if we feel the si _–

Abruptly the name of the song hit him, and he stopped singing. But it was too late. The burning in his heart returned, and he grit his teeth against the pain.

_When did this all start? _he wondered, speeding up, trying to stop the wound inside of him from opening up. _I used to be immune to such pain. When did this happen?! Why did this happen?!_

_All Hallow's Eve_, he realized with a stuttering halt. _Five years ago today. It happened… because of _her.

He looked up around him, and when he recognized the place, his heart throbbed yet again.

He was in his personal arboretum. It was there, five years ago, that he had his first kiss. Seto walked up to one of the trees and placed his hand on the trunk. His breath clouded up the air as he reached up and tore off one of the leaves. 

A holly tree. One of _her _favorites.

They had met at a party five years ago. The one his little brother Mokuba had convinced him to throw.

* * *

"_Seto, Seto!" came a voice excitedly._

"_I'm in the kitchen," said Seto, a touch of amusement in his voice._

_Mokuba Kaiba slid into the room at top speed. He placed his hands on his knees and caught his breath. At last, when he glanced up, he asked, "What are you doing?"_

"_Drinking coffee," said Seto calmly, taking a sip from the mug he held. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"_

_The younger Kaiba immediately straightened up. "Seto," he said excitedly. "Halloween is coming up… so…" He shifted uncomfortably, and then jumped right into it. "Could we throw a party?"_

_Seto, his cup to his lips, paused, and placed it on the table. "You want to throw a party? Why?"_

"_Well… because it would be fun!" Mokuba's eyes misted over as he imagined the scene. "We could have music… and dancing… and more dancing… OH! We should have a MASKED BALL PARTY!!!"_

_**A… masked ball party?**_

_Seto stared at his younger brother before something clicked in his mind. "Yugi."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Yugi. You're trying to cheer him up, aren't you? You've been friends with him for a long time – you've realized that he's become depressed since Yami's departure."_

_Mokuba's smile faded, and he slid into a chair. He put his head on the table. His voice muffled, he said, "We've been trying to cheer him up for the past three months. He acts happy, but we _know_ he's not. I think if we remind him that Yami does not want him to be sad, if we remind him that there's such thing as fun, then he'd act a bit like his old self." He looked up. "I'm considering calling his sister in America."_

"_He has a sister?"_

"_Exactly. His twin sister was kidnapped when they was little and has lived in America ever since. She's recently gotten back in touch with Yugi. I'm thinking that we should bring her over too."_

_**His other-half gone… his sister halfway across the world… that kid's had it in for him since the beginning**._

_After a time, Seto nodded. "Alright. Start making the plans."

* * *

_

_Mokuba ended up not only bringing Yugi's twin sister, but his twin's adopted sister as well._

_The two Motou siblings were talking during the ball, masked and disguised through costume. The mansion had been lavishly redecorated to fit the theme of some earlier-century ball. The chandelier illuminated a picture-perfect scene: people dressed grandly, large and extravagant masks covering their eyes at least, live music playing softly in the background, the dance floor softly twirling._

_Seto was leaning against a pillar, surveying his little brother's work. He couldn't help but be impressed._

_The older Kaiba himself was dressed grandly. He wore a dark blue toga, sparkling with golden pinpricks. He had a magnificent swirling blue, white, black and gold cape._

_It was topped with an off-white blue mask, the ends spiraling downwards._

_Overall, he resembled a distant nebula._

_Easily (he was wearing sandals), Seto turned away from the scene and walked outside. He looked around and decided that he'd walk in the arboretum for a time. Nature calmed him; and, at the moment, he couldn't help but feel somewhat lonely._

"_Are you alone?"_

_Seto turned to the voice. It was female voice, deep and alluring. The site that greeted him was a grand one. She was, very obviously, female indeed; she was wearing a black and crimson corset, accented with a black miniskirt and fishnets. Her mask was gold, reaching over her face, revealing only her smiling lips._

"_Does that matter?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest._

"_It could," she replied, her lips turning into a smirk._

_He leaned forward. "How do you know I'm not some sort of creepy stalker not meant to be here?"_

"_I doubt the great Seto Kaiba could _ever _be a creepy stalker," she said with a chuckle._

_Smiling, he lifted his hands and removed his mask. "You recognized me. How?"_

_A touch of amusement was in her voice when she answered. "My family adopted Yugi Motou's sister, you know. Those two are the biggest gamers I know – besides you, of course. And so it was always 'Kaiba this' and 'Kaiba that' and 'Did you hear what Kaiba did?!' and all that."_

_He asked her name, and she answered. And then he asked to see her face._

_Smiling, she lifted her hands and took off her mask, shaking her dark brown hair loose. She glanced up at him, and his heart stopped._

_She had dark, chocolate brown eyes, deep and mysterious. Her face was pure and heavenly, as if an angel had kissed her brow and left its mark._

_They drew in close, suddenly drawn to one another. Their face inches apart, she reached out and plucked a leaf from the tree he was leaning against._

"_Holly," she murmured, twirling it between her fingers. She pricked her finger and watched as a drop of blood hit the ground beneath her. "Very pretty. Very dangerous."_

_And then their lips met.

* * *

_

Seto grit his teeth as he repeated the motion she had done five years ago. Swiftly, he pricked his finger and watched the blood fall slowly to the ground, echoing the action that had taken place years before. He closed his eyes and let his body sag against the tree, fighting the tears that were coming.

* * *

All Hallow's Eve was a day full of superstition. It was said that on that day, the spirits come to play upon the earth. The borders between our worlds shimmer, until unrecognizable. 

And yet, why did people celebrate such a mysterious day, and in such different ways? The Mexicans had their _El Día De Los Muertos_, the Day of the Dead, in which they welcomed the spirits of their families home (1). The Persians jumped over fire to try and light the paths of wandering spirits to heaven (2). The common American custom was to dress up in costumes and go around houses asking for candy.

Yet why was this important?

… Because it was _her _favorite day of the year.

* * *

"… _What are you _wearing_?" asked Seto, eyes widening. _

"_Don't you like it?" she asked with a pout. "_I _think it's _brilliant_."_

_He chuckled. She was wearing a flattering black web and wine red corset dress. The bottom of the skirt part went partly sea-through to show off a fantastic figure. He took her hand and twirled her, before drawing her close to him._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. "I was going to wear it on All Hallow's again," she murmured. "You know, for our anniversary. But I couldn't wait to show it to you."_

_He planted kisses along her neck. "I'm glad you did," he muttered huskily. _

_She gripped his hair and drew his face back, staring deeply into his eyes. "I love you, Seto Kaiba."_

_His eyes, usually cold and distant, were warm and full of the strong emotion. "Ra forbid I lie when I repeat those same words to you," he said, and drew her into a powerful kiss.

* * *

_

_Mokuba loved her instantly, _he thought, staring at the prick of red on his finger. _He was so excited to have another sibling – a sister – at long last. Oh God… all three of us were looking forward to our wedding day.

* * *

_

"_Darling…" murmured Seto as they danced slowly, their bodies pressed tight against each other._

"_Yes love?" She looked up at him. That was something she always did; retain eye contact. She would always stare into his eyes, because she could always read the truth in them. Just as he could in hers._

"_We've been together for three years…" he said. "And… well, they've been the best years of my life."_

_She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him softly. "Ra forbid I lie when I repeat those same words to you," she quoted with a smile._

_**God I love her smile. Lights up her whole face.**_

_He returned it softly, before twirling her out of his arms and bending down on one knee. He pulled out the box and said, "I love you more than anyone else. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, doing everything I can for you. I want you to be happy, to never wipe that beautiful smile off your face. And so, as it is our third-year anniversary, I ask you this: will you marry me?"_

_The smile on her face was the last one he ever saw.

* * *

_

_Oh God._

The tears were running hot and fast now. He had dashed out of the arboretum and ran to the place of his nightmares. Where _it _happened. 

It was the fault of a drunken bastard, speeding down the streets at fifty-some miles an hour. They had just come out of the restaurant, he had just proposed to her, and just as she stepped off the curve…

_Bam._

But she had seen the car coming. Instead of running for her life, she threw Seto out of the way and shouted two words. And he had been dumbstruck, unable to move. Years of martial arts training had failed him. He had simply watched the car come and froze.

_I let her die… _he thought as his heart's rain rolled off his face. His sapphires eyes showed stars dying of agony. A moan of anguish escaped his lips and he spun around, his scarf and the wind whipping his face. He looked for a place to run, anywhere that he could escape.

He found none.

The world dimmed, and then faded.

* * *

When he came to, Seto found himself lying next to her grave. Groaning, he sat up; his back and neck stiff from using the gravestone as a rest. 

He had made sure she had been buried upon the misty hill. They'd go there often. She said it reminded her of Heathcliff and Catherine's final resting place in _Wuthering Heights_. And Heathcliff had been her favorite character. _She used to compare me to him_, Seto thought bitterly, tracing her name and the years on her tombstone.

The epitaph had been simple. There was no doubt to what it should, and did, say.

_Stay gold._

Her last two words to him. A quote from _The Outsiders_.

Her final wish: for him to remain unchanged, and unaffected, by what happened.

_How _could _I not change after those years? _he thought bitterly, wiping the salt water off his face. _Yami leaving was enough of a blow – he was my greatest rival, and in a sense best friend. And then _this _happened…_

He could hear her voice echoing in his head. _"Seto Kaiba," _she once told him, _"if you _ever _hurt yourself over me, Ra forgive your soul, 'cause I won't."_

He leaned forward and kissed the gravestone softly.

"I love you," he said simply. He got up and turned around and left. After all, he had an annual ball he had to prepare for. Mokuba had insisted on it.

* * *

Me: Well! I hope that didn't turn out _too _much like Shadow's story… deep apologizes if it did m'dear, I was merely inspired, not trying to steal. If you object to the similarities, then I will graciously remove it. 

(1) Take note that _El Día De Los Muertos _is not on the 31st of October, and if I'm not mistaken over the course of several days.

(2) Also, this takes place on the last Wednesday of the Persian year (in winter -- Persian New Year is in Spring) – so I skew things! I have every right to skew _this _fact, I'm more Persian that y'all are put together. So ha.

Here's a better disclaimer note, by the way: Don't own YGO, _Feel The Silence _(by The Goo Goo Dolls), _Wuthering Heights, _or _The Outsiders_. Oh, or _Nothing Gold Can Stay _by Robert Frost.


End file.
